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Pakistan shine on the pitch with series win Posted: 07 Nov 2011 07:28 AM PST The Pakistan team poses with their trophy after winning the test series against Sri Lanka in Sharjah November 7, 2011. – Reuters pic SHARJAH, Nov 7 – Pakistan highlighted their talent on the pitch to draw the third and final test against Sri Lanka and win the series 1-0 today just days after three former team mates were jailed for spot-fixing. Having been set a target of 255 runs for victory on the rain-hit fifth day, Pakistan opted for safety and were led largely by Taufeeq Umar's watchful 39 from 121 balls to finish on 87 for four from 57 overs. Captain Misbah-ul-Haq was unbeaten at the end on nine, the innings typical of his team's dogged approach on an uneventful last day as he batted for nearly 100 minutes and face 86 balls. Pakistan, who won the second match of the series by nine wickets after the drawn first test, were playing "home" tests in the United Arab Emirates due to security concerns in their own country. The series win follows former captain Salman Butt and bowlers Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir being handed jail sentences in London last week for their role in a gambling-inspired plot to bowl deliberate no-balls against England last year. However, the victory and the fine performances of spinner Saeed Ajmal, which made him joint player of the series with Sri Lanka batsman Kumar Sangakkara, will give Pakistani cricket supporters some cheer. DRAB DRAW After the first session was washed out today, a Sri Lanka win to force a series draw became even more unlikely. Resuming on their overnight 164 for five, Sri Lanka batted 4.2 overs to declare their second innings on 181 for six wickets with opener Tharanga Paranavitana (76) and Rangana Herath (one) unbeaten at the crease. Pakistan wobbled early on, losing Mohammad Hafeez and Azhar Ali to be 30 for two before first innings centurion Younis Khan was dismissed during the 29 overs they faced until tea. Taufeeq carved the ball to Sangakkara at backward point off Randiv, briefly raising Sri Lanka's hopes of an unlikely win, though Asad Shafiq (seven) repelled the depleted attack alongside Misbah until bad light forced the close. Sri Lanka lost paceman Dhammika Prasad for the rest of the game with a thigh strain early in the match and the remaining bowlers never really threatened Pakistan. Ajmal, the series-leading wicket taker, picked up 18 victims and his 5-68 turned the second test on its head as Sri Lanka collapsed and gifted Pakistan victory. Sangakkara piled up 516 runs at an average of 86, scoring a vital 211 in the first test to salvage a draw. The two countries will now contest a five-match one-day series starting on Friday in Dubai before a one-off Twenty20 international in Abu Dhabi on Nov. 25. – Reuters Full content generated by Get Full RSS.

Williams talking to Raikkonen, says shareholder Posted: 07 Nov 2011 06:40 AM PST LONDON, Nov 7 – Rubens Barrichello's Formula One future looks increasingly uncertain after a major Williams shareholder said the team were talking to 2007 champion Kimi Raikkonen about a possible comeback. Austrian Christian 'Toto' Wolff told the Kronen Zeitung that the Finn (picture), who won his title with Ferrari, was one of several names on their list of possible drivers for next season. "We are in conversation with Raikkonen," he said. "But he is only one of several options." Former champions Williams, enduring their worst season in Formula One with five points from 17 races, have said nothing officially about any contacts with the 32-year-old 'Iceman' despite mounting media speculation. Asked at the recent Indian Grand Prix whether Raikkonen might return to race for Williams next year, team chairman Adam Parr refused to be drawn. "Our race drivers are Pastor Maldonado and Rubens Barrichello and if, and when, that changes we will make an appropriate announcement," he said. Raikkonen, still hugely popular with F1 fans despite leaving the sport for rallying at the end of 2009, told the latest edition of F1 Racing magazine that anything was possible but nothing had been decided. "There are many different options and of course a lot of speculation," he said. "Until something is certain, there is no point in speculating because it could go any way. To be honest, I don't know myself yet." Barrichello, who has started more races than any driver in the history of Formula One, has said he wants to keep racing and is expecting a decision on his future before his home season-ending Brazilian Grand Prix on Nov. 27. "The fans need to know. Williams told me they would like to make a decision before Brazil, so I hope at least that is a positive. I would like that to happen," the 39-year-old told reporters last month. Rookie Maldonado brings substantial sponsorship to the team from Venezuelan state oil company PDVSA and is sure to stay. BIG DECISION Adrian Sutil is likely to be another strong option for Williams if the experienced German is not retained by Force India. Force India principal Vijay Mallya said in India that he hoped to announce his 2012 line-up before this weekend's race in Abu Dhabi but that looked less likely today. "All the drivers have asked me to make an early decision, and I respect that. I have a big decision to make," he said in a team preview. "But it's not made yet." Britain's Paul Di Resta is expected to stay at the team, with Germany's Nico Hulkenberg, who raced for Williams last year and took pole position in Brazil, widely tipped to join him at Sutil's expense. The other big question mark in the driver market hangs over Renault, with Robert Kubica's return still up in the air. The Pole has yet to step into a Formula One car since his near-fatal pre-season rally crash and Renault will be trying out Frenchman Romain Grosjean in Friday practice this week to assess his potential. Brazilian Bruno Senna, who has a contract to stand in until the end of the season, is also hoping to stay on if Kubica cannot return. The top four teams – Red Bull, McLaren, Ferrari and Mercedes – are all set to be unchanged for 2012. – Reuters Full content generated by Get Full RSS.

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School on a bus brings classes to Indian slums Posted: 07 Nov 2011 04:21 AM PST Children write letters from the Telugu alphabet as a teacher conducts lessons inside a bus converted into a school called "School on Wheels", at a slum area in the southern Indian city of Hyderabad on November 1, 2011.― Reuters pic HYDERABAD, Nov 7 ― On a hot afternoon, a bright orange bus drives into a slum area of the southern Indian city of Hyderabad, parking amidst shelters made of tarpaulins and bits of wood. Barefoot children come running, eyes shining, and troop inside. It's a school on wheels that brings education to the doorstep of disadvantaged children such as these every day, halting for several hours at a time in different parts of the sprawling city. The children, whose parents are day laborers on construction sites, or work as rag pickers and maids, either never go to school or drop out once enrolled. Many have to work as hard as their parents to pay off family debts. "These children have no time to go to school, unless the school comes to them," said T.L. Reddy, founder of the CLAP Foundation, a non-governmental organisation that runs the mobile school. "At first we prepared a temporary tent in their slum to give basic education for the children. Then slowly we developed the concept of a school inside a vehicle to attract more." Reddy, a teacher for 25 years, first thought of doing something for the children when they caught his attention a decade ago. After gathering donations and setting up the tent first, they began operating the bus three years ago. The inside of the bus is bright and clean, its walls festooned with the alphabet, numbers and pictures of fruit and animals. Children perch on seats around the inside of the bus, writing on slates they hold on their laps. Some days, the bus is so full that children sit cross-legged on the floor as a sari-clad teacher talks to them. "The teaching is good in this bus and nobody beats us," said 10-year-old Devi, who enrolled in the first grade of primary school three years ago but soon dropped out. She attends school in between helping her father collect rags, and hopes to be a teacher. Manjula, another 10-year-old girl, bubbles with excitement about her studies and wants to be a doctor to bring medical care to slum children such as herself. "Now I can read and write from 1 to 200 numbers," she said. The goal, Reddy said, is to teach the children enough for them to be mainstreamed into government schools. So far, some 40 children have done so despite the considerable odds. "The greatest hurdles are things ranging from the erratic schedule of the students, and the varied mindset of their families," he added. But the school's greatest achievement may be something far more simple. "This is the only chance they get to be kids, even if it is for only two hours," Reddy said. ― Reuters Full content generated by Get Full RSS.

Dual flu infections in Cambodia raise concern Posted: 07 Nov 2011 12:51 AM PST Syringes and flu vaccines are on a table. ― AFP pic WASHINGTON, Nov 7 ― A rare case of people being infected with both swine and seasonal flu has been documented in Cambodia, raising concern about the possibility of a potent combination strain, said a study out Wednesday. The unusual diagnoses were made in a 23-year-old teacher and one of his young male students, who had H1N1 and a human season flu H3N2 at the same time, said the findings in the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. Neither patient was hospitalised and their illnesses did not appear any more severe than in typical patients who are afflicted with a single strain. The cases date back to 2009, the year the pandemic H1N1 flu emerged, and do not pose a current threat, but rather remind experts of the dangers that a strain such as H5N1 bird flu could mix with human flu and sicken millions. "Influenza viruses are continually changing," said study author Patrick Blair, director of respiratory diseases at the US Naval Health Research Centre in San Diego, California. "Finding a co-infection in an area where there is considerable seasonal flu, pandemic flu and H5N1 avian flu shows there is an opportunity for co-mingling in swine or human hosts that could create an ominous global health problem." In the Cambodian case, researchers analysed and sequenced both virus genomes and found there had been no "genetic recombination," or mingling of the two. Other case studies included in the report also show that such co-infections are rare. One study in 2010 of 2,000 samples turned up no cases of dual infections and another pointed to fewer than two dozen co-infections with H1N1 ― one in Singapore, six in China, and 11 in New Zealand. Infectious disease expert Peter Hotez, president of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, said the research provides more reason for world governments to "remain vigilant" and share information. "Highly infectious strains of the virus against which humans have little defense can spread from one continent to another with 24 hours," he said. The study noted that southeast Asia "has proven to be a critical region for the adaptation and emergence of variants of seasonal influenza viruses as well as an area of zoonotic virus transmission in humans." Since 2005, the World Health Organisation has counted 566 human infections with H5N1 avian flu and 332 deaths, most of them in the Near East and southeast Asia. In Cambodia, where vaccination against the flu is rare, 16 of the 18 people infected with H5N1 flu have died, with the most recent fatal case in August. ― AFP-Relaxnews Full content generated by Get Full RSS.

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Lindsay Lohan reports to jail, released hours later Posted: 07 Nov 2011 07:54 AM PST LOS ANGELES, Nov 7 – Actress Lindsay Lohan reported to jail yesterday to begin serving time on a probation violation, only to be released hours later due to overcrowding. Lohan, 25 (picture), showed up at the Century Regional Detention Facility in Lynwood around 9pm yesterday to begin a 30-day term for violating probation in past cases, the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department said. But hours later, just after 1.30am today, she was driven from the facility to her Venice home. Lohan admitted in court last week to violating probation by failing to show up for community-service appointments and therapy sessions. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Stephanie Sautner sentenced her to 300 days, but ruled the troubled actress could serve 30 days initially, and had to surrender by Nov. 9. Sheriff's department spokesman Steve Whitmore said that due to jail overcrowding and Lohan's status as a nonviolent offender facing less than 90 days, she was booked and released. According to Sautner's ruling, the remaining 270 days of the sentence will be stayed if Lohan adheres to community service and therapy sessions schedules. – Reuters Full content generated by Get Full RSS.

Rihanna reveals ‘Talk That Talk’ track listing Posted: 07 Nov 2011 04:26 AM PST [unable to retrieve full-text content]LOS ANGELES, Nov 7 – This weekend, pop star Rihanna revealed the full track listing for her upcoming 14-song album Talk That Talk. The singer posted an in-studio photograph of herself on her Facebook page in addition to the track listing for the new LP. Her sixth album releases in Germany on November 18, followed by the US on November 21 and Japan ...

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Marina Mahathir selar media, Seksualiti Merdeka bukan promo seks bebas Posted: 07 Nov 2011 02:35 AM PST Ambiga Sreenevasan bercakap kepada media selepas kenyataan diambil polis di pejabat Tenaganita di Jalan Gasing, Petaling Jaya petang ini dengan ditemani (dari kiri) Maria Chin Abdullah, Irene Fernandez, Pang Khee Teik dan Marina Mahathir. ― Foto oleh Jack Ooi PETALING JAYA, 7 Nov ― Datuk Paduka Marina Mahathir hari ini menyelar laporan-laporan media yang menggambarkan Seksualiti Merdeka seolah-olah sebagai festival seks bebas dan mengancam untuk menyama jika perkara itu tidak diperjelaskan dan diputarbelitkan. Pada sidang media yang diadakan petang ini, anak bekas perdana menteri itu berkata, tiada perkataan yang dapat digunakan untuk menggambarkan perasaan marah beliau apabila program tersebut difitnah, yang jelas menerusi TV3 malam tadi, dan memberi amaran kepada pemberita dari stesen tersebut akan kesannya jika kenyataannya hari ini disalah petik. "Saya melihat pada wajah anda dan kami tahu siapa anda," kata Marina di ibu pejabat Tenaganita di sini. Marina muncul di pejabat pertubuhan bukan kerajaan itu di Jalan Gasing di sini untuk memberi sokongan kepada empat rakannya yang dipanggil polis hari ini berhubung program itu, yang diadakan setiap tahun sejak 2008 tetapi menjadi kontroversi tahun ini dan diharamkan berkuat kuasa Khamis lalu. Mereka yang dipanggil polis hari ini ialah pengasas program Seksualiti Merdeka Pang Khee Teik, Pengerusi Bersih 2.0 Datuk Ambiga Sreenavasan, Pengarah Tenaganita Irene Fernandez dan ahli jawatankuasa Bersih 2.0 Maria Chin Abdullah. "Saya berada di sini sebagai seorang penyokong sebab dua tahun lalu saya telah merasmikan Seksualiti Merdeka tanpa sebarang insiden," katanya. Marina menjelaskan program itu bukan bertujuan menggalakkan seks bebas tetapi untuk membantu kumpulan LGBT (lesbian, gay, biseksual dan traansgender) yang dipinggirkan memahami hak mereka dalam lingkungan undang-undang. "Ia adalah satu acara untuk menjelaskan dan mendidik tentang hak mereka dalam lingkungan perundangan, dan bukannya di luar lingkungan. "Saya sangat marah, sangat marah, tiada perkara untuk menggambarkan ke atas sesetengah pihak yang menganggap ini sebagai festival seks bebas. Anda tiada perkara lebih baik untuk dilakukan? Seks bebas memang tidak dibenarkan di sini... adakah anda gila (sehingga) boleh menggambarkan perkara ini?" kata beliau. Dalam pada itu, menurut Ambiga, kes itu disoal siasat di bawah Seksyen 298 dan 109 Kanun Keseksaan, dan juga di bawah Akta Polis berhubung kesalahan menyinggung sentimen agama seseorang. Ketika muncul selepas pertemuan selama 45 minit dengan polis, Ambiga mendakwa media membuat fitnah mengenai festival itu dan merujuk kepada TV3 atas kesilapan yang dilakukan. Bekas presiden Majlis Peguam itu kemudian mencabar stesen swasta itu agar menyiarkan kenyataan beliau hari ini dan tiga rakannya secara verbatim, dan jika tidak akan mengambil tindakan perundangan. "Saya mencabar TV3 agar melaporkan dengan penuh apa yang diperkatakan oleh Datuk Paduka Marina Mahathir. Saya juga mencabar anda menyiarkan segala apa yang saya katakan sekarang. "Anda mengelirukan publik. Anda memanggil yang ini sebagai festival seks bebas. Saya mencabar anda membawa setiap yang saya katakan atau tidak saya boleh menjamin anda, anda akan mendengar daripada peguam-peguam saya dalam isu ini," kata beliau. "Jaga-jaga, TV3." Khamis lalu, Timbalan Ketua Polis Negara Datuk Seri Khalid Abu Bakar berkata Polis Diraja Malaysia mengharamkan sebarang majlis yang dilakukan mana-mana penganjur berkaitan dengan program Seksualiti Merdeka demi ketenteraman awam. Pengharaman berkuat kuasa Khamis lalu. Katanya, polis telah mengenal pasti dan akan memanggil kesemua mereka yang terlibat dalam penganjuran program itu termasuk Ambiga untuk dirakam keterangan mereka. "Polis akan mengambil tindakan di bawah Seksyen 27 A (1) (C) dan juga 298 A Akta Polis untuk menghalang sebarang penganjuran majlis itu," katanya. Beliau berkata undang-undang di negara ini tidak mengiktiraf kegiatan songsang yang boleh menghancurkan kehidupan beragama di negara ini. Merdeka Seksualiti 2011, program yang bermula 1 November lalu dan sepatutnya berlaruran sehingga 13 November antara lain mendesak hak sama rata untuk golongan homoseksual dan transeksual seperti gay, lesbian, biseksual, interseks serta transgender. Bagi mengelak suasana tidak diingini berlaku, beliau berkata polis meminta orang awam supaya tidak menyertai program itu kerana ia boleh mengganggu ketenteraman awam. Full content generated by Get Full RSS.

Guan Eng: Anwar tetap PM jika Pakatan tawan Putrajaya Posted: 07 Nov 2011 01:03 AM PST KUALA LUMPUR, 7 Nov ― Setiausaha Agung DAP Lim Guan Eng menegaskan Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim tetap akan menjadi perdana menteri jika Pakatan Rakyat mengambil alih Putrajaya meskipun Ketua Pembangkang itu disabitkan kesalahan dalam kes liwat semasa. Lim mengulas laporan media bahawa Presiden MCA Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek mempersoalkan siapa yang akan menjadi perdana menteri jika Pakatan Rakyat memerintah kerajaan pusat kelak. "Kami telah pun mengatakan banyak kali. Anwar (gambar) akan menjadi perdana menteri," kata Lim yang juga Ketua Menteri Pulau Pinang. "Kami telah pun mengatakan siapa yang akan menjadi perdana menteri apabila Pakatan Rakyat menang (kerajaan pusat). Jadi, ia sangat jelas," kata Lim dalam rakaman sidang media yang diadakan di George Town hari ini. Anwar, Ketua Umum Pakatan Rakyat, sedang berhadapan kes liwat ― yang kedua sejak 1998 dan kini berada peringkat penghujahan selepas pihak pembela selesai membentangkan kes mereka. Dalam satu temu bual baru-baru ini, Anwar berkata, berdasarkan sokongan ketika perhimpunan Bersih 2.0 Julai lalu pihaknya akan memperoleh kejayaan lebih baik dan berpeluang memenangi Putrajaya meskipun beliau disabitkan kesalahan. "Beliau (Anwar) akan berada di sana (menjadi perdana menteri) meskipun pergi ke penjara. Orangnya masih Anwar. Yang itu telah diputuskan oleh kesemua parti," kata Lim. Dalam pada itu, Lim menegaskan bahawa undang-undang kontroversi hudud tidak akan dilaksanakan di Pulau Pinang. "Tidak akan ada hudud. Jadi persoalan itu tidak timbul," kata beliau merujuk laporan media memetik Dr Chua menyerang Pakatan Rakyat berhubung soal pelaksanaan undang-undang hudud. "Saya sudah pun berkata di Dewan Undangan Negeri bahawa hukum hudud tidak akan dilaksanakan di Pulau pinang dan kemudian Umno menyerang PAS (bertanya) mengapa tiada hudud, seolah-olah Umno mahukan hudud," kata beliau. PAS, komponen Pakatan Rakyat, berulang kali mempersalahkan kerajaan persekutuan Barisan Nasional sebagai halangan kepada langkah pihaknya mahu melaksanakan hudud di Kelantan. Full content generated by Get Full RSS.

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It just keeps getting bigger and better Posted: 06 Nov 2011 05:39 PM PST NOV 7 — On a crisp, sunlit morning, New York City stretched its arms out wide and embraced the sound of whooping crowds, street parties, rock bands and a city teeming with runners from more than 125 countries. I do like a good marathon, having run three myself — London, NYC and Venice — before finally reaching my sub-four hour goal in the last. But the incredible spectator support made New York the most memorable, and with an estimated crowd of close to 2.5 million lining the streets yesterday for this year's ING New York Marathon, a day of record-breaking proportions was on the cards. We left our WNBC 4 television screens behind, and herded our kids up to 61st Street and First Avenue before 11am to catch the first female runner, Kenyan Mary Keitany, pass our apartment block on mile 16. Keitany ran with the gutsy determination of a marathon winner with a world record in her grasp, strong and frighteningly fast, and a healthy gap of approximately 2½ minutes between her and the lead pack of female runners. We waited until the men's lead pack sped through, Kenyan runners Geoffrey Mutai and Emmanual Mutai in their midst, before dashing back up to watch, what we had assumed, would be a sure win for race favourite Keitany.  Dado and Deba, wearing red tops, exit Queensboro Bridge onto First Avenue at mile 16, maintaining a steady pace, wisely keeping their reserves for the final push in Central Park. — Pictures by Helen Hickey It all went horribly wrong on mile 24 in Central Park when Ethiopians Firehiwot Dado and her race buddy Buzunesh Deba, 24, who lives in the Bronx, caught up with a now weary-looking race leader. They made an impressive bolt to the finish which secured 27-year-old Dado first place with a time of 2 hours 23 minutes 15 seconds and Deba, second, 2:23:19. Keitany finished third in 2:23:38. Who would have thought a paltry 23 seconds would have been the difference between winning and losing a 26.2-mile course, the majority of which was in Keitany's tight control? Paula Radcliffe — watching yesterday having recently run the Berlin marathon — said she was worried at the halfway point that Keitany, who was clocking a few under 5:10-minute miles, would break her world record for the women's marathon of 2:15:25 set in London back in 2003. She added, a little smugly I thought: "But you have to have something in reserve for the second half." But this is true, I remember clearly those unexpected rolling hills of Central Park in the last two miles of the NY marathon I ran in 1999. Dado, wearing her medal and a laurel crown, said afterwards that she didn't really think they would close the impressive gap created by Keitany, and "when we caught up to her, I was very surprised." Dado, who lives in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, was not well-known to the major marathon scene; today's victory has rectified that. Upfront in the men's leading pack, Kenyan runners Geoffrey Mutai and Emmanuel Mutai (related only by their subsequent record-breaking success on the finishing line coming in first and second, respectively) race through First Avenue's streets thick with spectators and the deafening sounds of police motorcycles and cars trailing them. The disappointment I felt for Keitany's loss didn't last too long, as we watched 30-year-old Kenyan Geoffrey Mutai shatter the current men's world record held for the New York Marathon with his 2 hours 5 minutes 6 seconds finish, taking more than two minutes off EthiopianTesfaye Jifar's previous record of 2:07:43. Now that's impressive. In a post-race interview, Mary Wittenberg, the president and CEO of New York Road Runners, organisers of the ING NYC Marathon, spoke of perfect weather conditions making this year's marathon "an extraordinary day here in NYC." A record breaking 47,000 runners (out of 145,000 applicants) were accepted into the NY marathon, and made it through the five New York boroughs, with a reported million dollars in charity clocked up for every mile run. "It just keeps getting bigger and better" Wittenberg laughed as she talked of making the New York Marathon a two-day affair. Having breathed in today's marathon mania, I must say it is rather contagious; maybe there will be a dusting off of my marathon boots ready for 2012! * The views expressed here are the personal opinion of the columnist. Full content generated by Get Full RSS.

Chetti yang belum diakui Bumiputera Posted: 06 Nov 2011 04:26 PM PST 7 NOV — Sewaktu menyertai "World Tamil Writers Conference" di Singapura pada 28-30 Oktober 2011, saya turut tidak melepaskan peluang mengatur pertemuan bersama Stephen Samuel Dhoraisingam. Beliau adalah pengkaji sejarah dan penulis yang disegani di republik berkenaan. Saya mengenali penulis buku "Peranakan Indians of Singapore and Melaka" (Singapura: ISEAS Publications, 2006) sejak tahun 2005 serta amat kagum dengan pengalaman dan ilmu yang beliau miliki. Saya berani mengatakan bahawa buku "Peranakan Indians of Singapore and Melaka" adalah satu-satunya bahan dokumentasi yang secara khusus dan menyeluruh memperkatakan pelbagai perkara berkaitan sejarah, budaya, adat dan kehidupan masyarakat Chetti di Malaysia. Buku 'Peranakan Indians of Singapore and Melaka'. Tujuan saya mengatur pertemuan bersama Dhoraisingam antara lain untuk mengetahui perkembangan usaha beliau membantu masyarakat Chetti; khasnya di Kampung Chetti, Gajah Berang, Melaka. Baru-baru ini, ada pengkaji dari Australia yang menghubungi beliau untuk melahirkan rasa gembira kerana berpeluang mendapat pelbagai maklumat berguna menerusi buku tersebut. Bagi penduduk di Kampung Chetti, buku "Peranakan Indians of Singapore and Melaka" setebal 118 halaman secara langsung membantu usaha mereka mendokumentasi sejarah masyarakat Chetti yang unik. Demikian diakui K. Malathy Pillay, seorang guru keturunan Chetti yang sering saya hubungi menerusi telefon untuk mengetahui perkembangan sanak-saudaranya di Kampung Chetti. Selain itu, secara tidak langsung, kelahiran buku "Peranakan Indians of Singapore and Melaka" juga membantu mengembalikan semangat dan rasa bangga masyarakat Chetti dengan identiti unik yang dimiliki. Dhoraisingam adalah pengkaji sejarah dan penulis yang disegani di Singapura. Prabhawathy Govindarajoo menerusi rencana bertajuk "Masyarakat Chetti yang Dilupakan" (Dewan Budaya, Mac 2007) menghuraikan bagaimana dalam teks klasik Ramayana dan Silappatikaram turut dikisahkan mengenai pedagang yang datang ke Tanah Melayu yang digelar Suwarnabhumi, iaitu Semenanjung Emas. Pedagang India yang berurusan di Tanah Melayu — di Kedah dan kemudian di Melaka — merupakan golongan kaya. Sebahagian golongan pedagang itu digelar "setu" dan kemudian dipanggil "chitty" atau "chetti". Istilah "setu" bermakna "pedagang" dalam Bahasa Tamil. Tentu sahaja masyarakat Chetti akan kecil hati jika masih ada pihak yang tidak dapat membezakan antara Chetti dan Cheetiar (ceti; peminjam wang). Saya dan keluarga berpeluang mengunjungi Kampung Chetti pada Januari 2007 untuk mengenali penduduk di situ secara lebih dekat serta menulis beberapa artikel mengenai masyarakat itu. Agak menarik bahawa rupa fizikal masyarakat Chetti sama seperti orang India. Ada juga yang menyamai orang Cina kerana lelaki Chetti berkahwin dengan wanita daripada kelompok Baba Nyonya. Sekiranya dirujuk pada catatan sejarah, semasa zaman penjajahan Jepun (1942-45), masyarakat Cetti yang sebahagian daripadanya mempunyai rupa fizikal seperti orang Cina berjaya menyelamatkan diri dengan mengatakan bahawa mereka adalah orang India. Artikel Masyarakat Chetti jangan dilupakan. Mereka dilaporkan menghafaz ayat "Watakushi wa Indo-jin des" yang bermakna "Saya orang India" dalam Bahasa Jepun. Namun, rata-rata masyarakat Chetti tidak boleh berkomunikasi menggunakan Bahasa Tamil. Sebaliknya, mereka menggunakan Bahasa Malaysia. Hal ini lebih nyata dalam kalangan belia dan generasi muda. Perkara ini pernah saya sentuh dalam sebuah tulisan bertajuk "Orang Chetti Tidak Tahu Berbahasa Tamil" (Dewan Bahasa, Mac 2007) hasil pertemuan dengan generasi tua dan muda di kampung berkenaan. Walau bagaimanapun, seperti dinyatakan oleh Prabhawathy dalam rencananya, masyarakat Chetti berjaya mengekalkan budaya dan agama mereka yang tersendiri walaupun semasa zaman Kesultanan Melayu Melaka (Islam), serta penjajahan Portugis, Belanda dan Inggeris (Kristian). Malah, kuil Hindu tertua di Malaysia dipercayai adalah Kuil Sri Poyatha Vinayagar Moorthy di Kampung Chetti yang dibina pada tahun 1781, iaitu semasa Melaka dijajah Belanda. Kuil berkenaan masih wujud sehingga hari ini di Kampung Chetti yang diwartakan sebagai salah satu tapak warisan budaya. Seperti yang saya tekankan dalam rencana bertajuk "Wajah Malaysia dalam Budaya Chetti" (Dewan Budaya, Mac 2007), masyarakat Chetti telah melalui perjalanan yang cukup panjang sambil terus mengekalkan identiti yang tersendiri dan lain daripada yang lain. Keunikan ini dapat diperhatikan dalam segala aspek kehidupan seharian mereka: bahasa, pakaian, makanan, adat-istiadat, kepercayaan, sistem keluarga, perkahwinan, gelaran, upacara agama, seni bina, muzik, permainan dan seumpamanya. Kesemua topik ini dihuraikan secara terperinci dalam buku "Peranakan Indians of Singapore and Melaka" oleh Dhoraisingam yang juga merupakan penasihat Persatuan Peranakan Chetti Melaka di Singapura. Kumpulan Sasterawan Kavyan (Kavyan) yang aktif mengendalikan program bahasa, sastera, seni dan budaya sejak 1999 turut berpendirian bahawa segala keunikan masyarakat Chetti perlu dipelihara dan diteruskan; serta perlu didokumentasikan secara penuh sistematik. Tentu sahaja kita tidak mahu — dan tidak perlu — menunggu sehingga pihak luar tampil membuat kajian mendalam dan mengangkat masyarakat Chetti di Kampung Chetti sebagai suatu kelompok yang autentatik dan wajar mendapat pengiktirafan pada peringkat antarabangsa. Sambil makan tengah hari di Serangoon Road, Little India, Singapura pada 31 Oktober lalu, saya mengemukakan topik itu kepada Dhoraisingam yang baru sahaja menerbitkan edisi kedua buku "Singapore's Heritage Through Places of Historical Interest". "Saya ada membaca di akhbar bahawa mereka sudah memohon status Bumiputera tetapi nampaknya belum membuahkan hasil yang diharapkan," katanya. Sebagai individu yang mengkaji sejarah masyarakat Chetti, tentu sahaja Dhoraisingam menyedari dan mengakui bahawa kumpulan itu sudah lama bertapak di Malaysia dan sesungguhnya layak menerima status Bumiputera; sebagaimana diberi kepada masyarakat Portugis di Melaka. Rencana fokus di Dewan Budaya, Mac 2007. Salah seorang daripada pemegang amanah di Kampung Chetti, G. Tegarajah pernah ditanya pada Januari 2007 mengenai status Bumiputera bagi masyarakat Chetti di Gajah Berang. Katanya, permohonan rasmi sudah dikemukakan kepada Ketua Menteri Melaka dengan disertakan segala dokumen yang diperlukan. "Kami benar-benar berharap jawapan yang positif akan diterima daripada pihak berkuasa dalam masa terdekat," katanya, lebih empat tahun lalu. Namun, nampaknya masyarakat Chetti yang penuh sopan-santun dan merendah diri belum menerima sebarang jawapan daripada pihak berkenaan. Saya menghubungi seorang lagi pemegang amanah di Kampung Chetti, K. Arunasalam Pillay pada 4 November 2011 dan beliau mengesahkan bahawa sehingga kini, belum ada sebarang jawapan dari pejabat Ketua Menteri Melaka. Saya secara peribadi amat hairan mengapa masa yang terlalu lama diperlukan untuk mengiktiraf hak masyarakat Chetti sebagai Bumiputera. (Namun, apa yang perlu dihairankan, bukan?) Dalam pada kerajaan begitu mudah memberi taraf kerakyataan kepada warga asing, sukar pula untuk memberikan apa yang hak kepada warga sendiri. Mungkinkah ini yang sebenarnya dimaksudkan dengan muluk "1 Malaysia: Rakyat Didahulukan, Pencapaian Diutamakan"? Atau mungkinkah satu-satunya "dosa" masyarakat Chetti di Kampung Chetti adalah bahawa mereka masih berpegang teguh pada agama Hindu? * The views expressed here are the personal opinion of the columnist. Full content generated by Get Full RSS.

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David storms to sixth World Open title Posted: 06 Nov 2011 07:20 AM PST David holds up five fingers to signify her fifth World Open win, September 23, 2010. The world number one today added her sixth world title. KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 6 — World squash number one Datuk Nicol David decimated long-time adversary Jenny Duncalf to secure a record sixth World Open championship in Rotterdam, Netherlands today. David raced ahead of her rival 11-2, 11-5, before taking the last set 11-0 in the final of the competition, needing little more than 30 minutes to dispatch the second-seeded Englishwoman. Her latest championship makes David the most successful in the history of the competition, going one better than the five-win record she hitherto shared with Australian Sarah Fitz-Gerald. Full content generated by Get Full RSS.

Spurs boss Redknapp could miss five weeks Posted: 06 Nov 2011 06:58 AM PST Redknapp was initially expected to be out for a fortnight. — Reuters pic LONDON, Nov 6 — Tottenham Hotspur manager Harry Redknapp could face a four- or five-week layoff after undergoing minor heart surgery, he said today. The English Premier League club had initially said the 64-year-old, favourite to take over as England manager from Fabio Capello next July, would be set to return to work in two weeks following Wednesday's operation. "(The doctor's) telling me I shouldn't even think about (returning) for at least four to five weeks. I hope to be back before then," Redknapp told Britain's Sky Sports News. Redknapp said he would try to stay calm in front of the television while watching Spurs visit Fulham in the Premier League later today. — Reuters Full content generated by Get Full RSS.

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Cultural thirst drives China’s high-end tea boom Posted: 06 Nov 2011 12:05 AM PDT Tea shop owner Sam Lam smells a 50-year-old pu erh tea cake in his shop in Hong Kong September 9, 2011. — AFP/Relaxnews pic HONG KONG, Nov 6 — Fifteen years ago the Lam family business picked up a consignment of aged tea from a defunct Hong Kong restaurant. Its value has since risen by a factor of 10,000, as the Lams have found themselves part of a boom that is both investment fad and cultural obsession. "It's like magic," managing director Sam Lam told AFP as he prepared tea according to the Chinese ritual, pouring boiling water through rough leaves and then into tiny cups to drink, and spoke of the profits to be made. The tea is pu erh, a dark tea that is fermented after drying and whose taste mellows with age. Its history is thought to date back between one and two thousand years, with legends of growers in mountainous Yunnan province ferociously guarding their cultivation secrets. Over the past 20 years prices for aged pu erh have rocketed, while China has encouraged renewed development of a luxury tea culture which parallels that of wine — partly as a source of national pride in a home-grown high-end product. With over 70,000 tea businesses in mainland China, skilled buyers must taste tea in order to assess its quality, which only increases pu erh's mystique and sociability. "You can tell from the aftertaste, the smoothness," says Lam, pouring out cups with practised hands. The tea is sold in pressed round "cakes", wrapped in paper printed with bold designs that reflect the vintage of each one. Lam's father set up the business, Lam Kie Yuen, after moving to Hong Kong from the war-torn mainland in 1949. But the pair say it is only since the mid-nineties that the market for luxury pu erh — also, in its less refined forms, a staple of cheap restaurants — has exploded, with middle-class investors joining the wealthy to buy it up. The Lams are now selling tea from the 1930 to 1950 era for up to HK$200,000 (RM80,180) per 345-gram cake, having bought much of it in cheap truckloads from dim sum restaurants that closed down. "Growth slowed during the economic downturn, but it's still ongoing," said Sam Lam. "As the price is rising, people are buying it less to drink, and more to collect and invest." But luxury pu erh is not just bought to lay aside; it is identified with proud, ancient aspects of Chinese culture, in contrast with the cheap "made in China" goods that have spurred the country's economic rise. In Hong Kong's hectic Mong Kok district, fashionably dressed young men gather at a calm teahouse for lessons from qualified tea master Eliza Liu. "It's like a drug — I'm addicted now," said student Ngan Kan Shing, 21. "By discovering tea I feel that I've learned about China." He has been coming to classes for six years, but says: "I still only know the basics." The group examines the colour of each cup of tea before sniffing and then slurping it in respectful silence, as Liu talks them through the value of the aged tea. Grown before artificial pesticides and dried naturally rather than at a high temperature, it has a paler colour and a smoother taste. "Good tea is produced at higher altitude, and also depends on climate," says Liu. "In Yunnan, they say a tea tree can experience all four seasons in one day." The tea is served from small fine china tea sets, used with a tray that drains off excess water. The first cup of each brew is not drunk, as it is used to clean dust or residue from the leaves. After that, a good tea should taste different with every cup, say experts. According to China's state-run Global Times, one batch of top pu erh sold at auction for US$250 per gram in 2002, while rare Da Hong Pao oolong can also rival such prices. But Liu and tea professor Yip Man, who taught her the art, are sceptical of the eye-popping prices paid for some teas, preferring to emphasise tea's long-time role in Chinese medicine and thought. "Tea has a philosophy behind it, and it's about health. Tea has been very commercialised, but a cheaper tea may also be as good (as an expensive one)," said Yip. "The philosophy is about harmony, bringing people together, peace within the self." The price of pu erh is acknowledged to be boosted by a tight supply, and sceptics argue that investors buying aged pu erh may be made to look foolish as China's newly affluent drinkers move on to fresh fashions like Phoenix Oolong. However Lam says that although the astonishing growth of the last two decades may not be sustained, pu erh is still a good investment. He said a buyer of a good, inexpensive pu erh — at, say, HK$100 a cake — now could expect to make a 10 per cent return in a year. "But you have to choose the right tea," he said. Luxury teahouses springing up in London and Sydney indicate China might succeed in exporting its high-end tea culture. And Liu and her students feel meanwhile that they are tapping into much more than a fad. Student Ngan is evangelical about pu erh. "Before learning about tea, a lot of my friends believed the stereotype that tea is for old people. But now I think they're changing their minds," he said. — AFP/Relaxnews Full content generated by Get Full RSS.

Brand-addicted Indians propel luxury sector Posted: 05 Nov 2011 07:45 PM PDT NEW DELHI, Nov 6 — India's luxury sales are expected to expand by a scorching 20 per cent annually until 2015, according to a new report, as brand-smitten consumers snap up big names to flaunt their wealth. Luxury sales were slow to take off in India a decade ago, disappointing retailers who had rushed into what they hoped would be the next China — a vast market of over a billion people with an eye for status symbols. But now Indian consumers "are quickly catching up with global trends", according to Neelesh Hundekari, head of Indian luxury retail at consultancy AT Kearney and author of the recent "Indian Luxury Review" report. An office-worker walks past a billboard advertising a luxury watch boutique in Mumbai. — AFP/Relaxnews file pic Global labels are jostling to make their mark in India where 153,000 dollar millionaires — and many thousands just a notch below — have created a luxury market in a nation also home to untold millions living in poverty. India's luxury sales grew by 20 per cent to reach $5.75 billion (RM17.9 billion) in 2010, despite high tariff barriers, a lack of retail infrastructure and costly rents, according to the AT Kearney report. That figure is expected to rise at a similar pace annually to reach US$14.72 billion by 2015 — around half of the forecast US$27-28 billion for the sector in neighbouring China by the same date. "We expect this strong Indian upward trajectory to continue," Hundekari told AFP, with the market propelled by increasingly affluent and "brand conscious" shoppers. Indians are buying everything from high-end handbags, jewellery, electronics and cars to expensive wines and spirits, with all the big names present in the market from Gucci and Chanel to Porsche and Ferrari. Hermes has just launched a limited-edition sari range, while international high-end brands are spreading from niches in the lobbies of five-star hotels to branches in new shopping malls. The vast DLF Emporio mall, which opened in 2008, was built on rough ground on the outskirts of Delhi with a mission to sell only luxury goods — it now houses names including Giorgio Armani, Louis Vuitton, Cartier and Dior. "This is just a beginning where the big boom is waiting to happen," said Sanjay Kapoor, managing director at Genesis Luxury, which distributes brands like Bottega and Cavalli. For many Indians, who are casting off the mantra of frugality espoused by independence hero Mahatma Gandhi, wealth is a novelty that they "like to flaunt", Hundekari said. "If they spend money, they want to get social recognition. They are not buying for intrinsic satisfaction — their primary motivation is to show off." The Internet and social media are also making it possible for luxury firms to connect with once hard-to-reach consumers in smaller cities and rural areas. Angela Ahrendts, chief executive of iconic British brand Burberry, told an industry conference in Delhi last month that some 500,000 Indians are among its 8.5 million Facebook fans. Also fuelling the lavish spending is the large amount of so-called "black money" on which people have paid no taxes. "They need to do something to do with it," said one analyst who did not wish to be named. India's luxury market is still weighed down by a combination of 35-40 per cent import tariffs on luxury goods and bureaucratic red tape. "World-over, customs duty varies from 15 to 20 per cent, but in India, it's much higher, making brands very expensive," said Pradeep Hirani, chairman of designer retailer Kimaya Fashions. Some Indians shop abroad for cheaper luxury prices but many of the well-heeled do not want to wait. Global luxury firms are pushing India to cut import taxes on prestige goods and to lift a 51 per cent cap on foreign ownership of Indian units that they say undermines their brand value. India is "looking at how we can make it for you people to come here", Commerce Minister Anand Sharma told the Delhi conference, adding that the government was considering raising the foreign investment retail cap. — AFP/Relaxnews Full content generated by Get Full RSS.

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